


Strong Enough to Bend

by ThatBohoFemme



Series: übernatürlich [2]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Bayley deals with weird situations, Confessions, Curses, Developing Relationship, Discoveries, F/M, Idiots in Love, Introspection, Were-Creatures, Werewolf Reveal, Woken Matt Hardy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 19:25:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatBohoFemme/pseuds/ThatBohoFemme
Summary: "I have recently come across some information I believe you need to know. I wasn't going to say anything but I consulted with Sigmund Freud, the Capybara and he told me I owed this to you."Bayley set the teacup down, and leaned forward. What could this crazy person have come across that was so dire?Bayley learns something about her new flame and now has to challenge everything she's ever known and understood.There's really nothing she can't handle...right?





	Strong Enough to Bend

_**“Tell the truth, or someone will tell it for you.” – Stephanie Klein, Straight Up and Dirty by Stephanie Klein (2006)** _

"Ah, yes. The lover of affectionate squeezes! So glad you could come. I was afraid you wouldn't receive my invite or choose to ignore it!" 

Bayley bit on her lower lip to prevent herself from reacting to the strange situation. This morning, a talking drone had tapped on her window, telling her 'Mister Hardy requested a meeting of the utmost importance.' 

Bayley figured it was important if Matt chose to send one of his fleet after her, so she told the drone she would kindly accept. The drone told her the time and place for the meeting. She assured him (her? them?) she would be there early. 

Now, she sat, presented with The Woken Warrior himself. 

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Matt," she said, doing her best to not stare at him. "What's up?" 

"It is my understanding you took up with The One Who is Chronically Unsettled. Is that correct?" Matt sipped from a blue chipped china teacup. "Tea? Senor Benjamin grows the mint himself." 

Bayley nodded, not because she was thirsty. She accepted because she didn't want to seem rude. She also feared triggering one of Matt's strange reactions. 

Who knew how much of what he said was real versus in his head? 

"Perfect!" Matt rose, walking over to the coffee pot. He fixed a cup of Mint Tea and passed it to her. She took the chipped pink cup and added lumps of sugar and a splash of cream. "So, as I was saying, have you taken up with the One Who is Chronically Unsettled?" 

"I don't see why who I'm dating is of any importance to you." Bayley spoke before she had time to think about her reaction. She noticed the way Matt's lip curled up in the makings of a snarl. She winced, sipping her tea. "Sorry, Matt." She cleared her throat. "Yes, I am seeing Elias."

"I have recently come across some information I believe you need to know. I wasn't going to say anything but I consulted with Sigmund Freud, the Capybara and he told me I owed this to you." 

Bayley set the teacup down, and leaned forward. What could this crazy person have come across that was so dire? 

"As you know, I won The Great War last week and purged Sister Abigail from her vessel. So sad. She was lovely until she went mad and possessed...anyway...When I vanquished her, I got snippets of something. Something I believe to be true." 

Bayley gestured for him to keep talking. 

"At one point, she had the vessel known as Bray Wyatt curse a man for refusing to follow. She thought he might be the perfect addition to the family." Matt took a long sip of tea. "Butter cookie?"  
He reached under the table and pulled out a battered tin. "Fresh baked by Queen Rebecca!" 

Bayley stifled a groan as she accepted a cookie. She loved Matt but since he'd been possessed, conversations with him _seemed_ to take twice as long. She hid the cookie in a napkin as she waited for Matt to eat his cookie.

"Where was I?" Matt sipped more tea as he tried to remember where he'd been in his story. 

"Sister Abigail cursed a man." 

"Right! Thank you! As I said, she cursed a man for his refusal to follow but the vessel took pity on the man. He found his music soothing to the demon." Matt cleared his throat. "He had no choice but he found he could modify the curse! She wanted to condemn the man to life with lycanthropy. Bray Wyatt could not do that to the man! Instead, the man is condemned to transform into a Kugsha or _wolfdog_ during the full moon." 

Bayley pursed her lips, as she set the cup aside. She didn't know what to think of Matt and his story. Maybe the cookies and tea were spiked? 

"Thank you for telling me, Matt. I will take that into consideration. I do have to get to the arena." Bayley stumbled to her feet. She gave him a quick hug. 

"Thank you, Lover of Affectionate Squeezes!" Matt pressed the cookie tin into her hands. "This will help with Elias!" 

Bayley nodded, taking the tin. 

As she walked towards her rental car, she wondered: 

_What the hell was going on?_  
\---  
Bayley knew she shouldn't be spying on the guy she was kind of seeing. Their relationship needed trust. It needed boundaries. 

Yet, here was the full moon- just three days after finding out what Matt thought he knew. Elias canceled their plans, claiming he wasn't feeling well. If it was any day other than the full moon, she wouldn't be spying on him. She _had_ to know if it was true. 

Did Elias turn into a Kugsha on the full moon? 

That would certainly explain a lot. 

Bayley approached the tired looking cottage. His black mustang sat in the driveway. A light shone bright through the attic window. All signs he was home...

She reached out, pressing the doorbell. A dog's guttural bark responded. To the best of her knowledge, he didn't have a dog. 

This just kept getting weirder and weirder...

After a moment, she spotted the cast iron turtle. In her experience, guys like Elias only decorated their front steps with turtles or frogs for one reason. _Keys_. Squatting down, she knocked the heavy shell aside and saw the key. 

_Really need to hide this better, Love._ she thought, turning the Zebra print key in the lock. The door opened, allowing her access. _If Matt's just crazy, I'm a dead woman._

Again, Bayley could think of nothing other than the fact she violated his privacy by being here. If he did turn into a Kugsha on the moon, that was his prerogative. Who was she to interfere? Maybe she should turn around now and forget she'd ever come. 

Just as she'd made up her mind to turn around and go back, a large black dog rushed up to her, barking and growling. She froze, uncertain if this was Elias or a newly-acquired pet. Either way, meeting them this was wasn't great. 

"Nice doggie." She held out her hand, allowing the dog to sniff. "Good dog." She reached out, trembling as the dog allowed her to scratch their ears. 

The dog sat, offering Bayley a paw. She squatted, ready to accept. When she took the paw, her eyes connected with the dog's. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn the dog spoke through its familiar grey-green eyes. 

_What are you doing here?_

"Matt told me about a man turning into a Kugsha. Curiosity got the best of me." She gulped, sitting on the ground in a half-lotus position. The dog laid down, resting their head in her lap. "I mean- maybe you're Elias. Maybe you're just a new pet. Who am I to judge or ask questions?" 

More eye-speak. 

_Lady, you're in my house. You recognize the eyes. I say do the math._

"I am not counting with Elias." She began to stroke the Kugsha's head, laughing at the way he rolled over to expose his belly. "Belly rub?" 

This should all be strange to her and yet, it wasn't. She interacted with a demon and a broken...woken...something and a cult leader. 

Was a weredog that much different? 

"Butter cookie?" she asked, taking out the tin. The Kugsha nuzzled her hand. "Fresh baked by Queen Rebecca." She opened the tin and held a cookie flat in the palm of her hand. 

He snatched the cookie, eating it in a single bite. 

"Matt told me they'd help me with you, Mister. I don't know what to call to you though." She scratched the fine fur between his ears, as she pondered this dilemma. He tapped her with his paw, causing her to look down. 

_Still Elias. Just hairier, woofier and prone to chasing my tail._

"Eh, I can't call you the same thing in both forms. Too odd. Let's see. Eli. Same name, different form." She pursed her lips, nodding. "I like it. Eli." She dug through her bag again. "Here we go. Bought this, just in case." She pulled out a blue faux-suede squeaky guitar. She squeaked it a few times, laughing as the Kugsha lunged for it. 

_When I become me again, I am going to kill you._

"Oh but you love it, Eli." She tugged back as he seized the guitar and began to chew it. Then, she leaned, her back resting against the ottoman. "Go play." 

The Kugsha curled up in her lap, mouthing the guitar. Every so often, he gave it a gentle squeak. Before long, he slept soundly. 

Bayley watched him sleep. She couldn't resist petting him. She'd always been a _huge_ dog lover. Could she live with the guy she was kind of seeing morphing into a dog every month? 

These are the kinds of questions Seventeen Magazine never prepared her for. She'd seen articles of every kind but _What to Do When You're In Love with a Weredog_ hadn't been one of them. 

If they had kids, could she explain it to them? Would they even understand the big black dog that came and went was Daddy? More important...why was she even worried about their hypothetical kids? Could weredogs have kids? 

"I don't want to consult Matt on that," Bayley mumbled, exhaling with a sharp breath. "Damn world. Why can't you stay simple?" 

Ever since joining WWE, her small world grew and grew into more things she didn't understand. Wrestling tipped her off to the idea there was more out there but she didn't get it. 

Young Bayley dreamed of marrying a banker or a lawyer- someone who could give her the perfect life. They'd have a pretty house with a white picket fence and a mailbox shaped like a house. Eventually, they'd have 2.4 children- a boy and a girl. She even had their names picked out- Ryan for a boy and Rose for a girl. 

Adult Bayley laughed at her younger self's dreams. Now it seemed far more likely that she'd live in a ramshackle house, decorated with love. Her husband would be a Musically inclined, wrestling drifter who grew hairy once a month. If they had kids, she wanted three. Two girls- Molly and Lucy and a boy- George. (Yes, in her dream, they were named after Beatles songs) 

The Kugsha barked soft, his front paws twitching. He still had the guitar in his mouth. Bayley gave him a soft smile, petting his head again. She dug through her bag, finding the cream-colored oversized faux fur throw. She managed to tuck it around them. She knew it would be covered in dog hair come morning but she didn't care. 

It was amazing what you did for love. 

\---  
Bayley awoke the next morning to find herself alone. Her back ached. Her legs and rear were slept so soundly that even the slightest move caused her body to burn with the tingle of pins and needles. Her bladder screamed for relief. 

She was in rough shape. 

"Eli?" she called, wondering where The Kugsha was. She rose to her knees, biting back a howl of pain as she worked her way up. If she didn't find her way to the bathroom, it wouldn't be pretty. "Elias?" 

"Easy, Lady, easy." He was beside her in an instant. "Come on." He helped her to her feet. "Bathroom?" As she nodded, he draped one of her arms around his neck and walked with her. 

"You're human," she said, staring at him with tired eyes. 

"The transformation ends when the sun comes up. Woke up to find myself nude in your lap, wrapped in a Pottery Barn blanket." He opened the bathroom door and walked her into the room. "I'll stand outside."

After attending to her needs and dressing in a set of Elias' clothes, they went to breakfast. They needed to get on the road but first, they needed to eat. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, sipping a cup of coffee. "I mean- I found because Sister Abigail can't keep her mouth shut." 

"Well, it's not exactly an easy thing to say." Elias nodded towards the waitress. "Thought I would scare you off." 

Bayley pondered this while they ordered their food. It was a lot to think about. Would she have run if she hadn't found out in such a strange way? 

"I like you for you," Bayley admitted, staring at him. "I'm sorry I broke into your house." She jumped when he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. 

"I shouldn't have hid my spare key in a frog," Elias said. "That's the first place _anyone_ looks." He tightened his grip, grabbing her other hand. "I'm glad you were there. It wasn't so lonely." 

"You just want butter cookies and belly rubs." Bayley's eyes were teasing. She couldn't resist laughing as he pouted. "No, I was happy to be there." 

She didn't know what their future would hold. Maybe it would be just a few months. Maybe it would be a few years. It could last a lifetime. She didn't know. 

Her mother always told her love was unconditional. You loved someone, regardless of their flaws and issues. If Elias told her he was ill with something, she wouldn't leave him. She viewed his condition like that. If they broke up, it would have nothing to do with his status as a weredog. 

As they began to discuss other things, she pulled out her phone. She couldn't resist texting Matt. 

_**Thanks for the heads up. Think we're good.** _

Matt responded seconds later.

_**Quite welcome, Lover of Affectionate Squeezes. Can't wait to tell Sigmund he was right!** _

She laughed, shaking her head. Her life was odd. There was no denying this fact. 

It was odd but it was uniquely hers. 

She wouldn't change a thing. 

"Bay?" Elias waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you listening?" 

"What's up?" She glanced up, slipping her phone back into her bag.

"How'd you find out?" 

"Well, it started with a talking drone..." 

-Fin-


End file.
